Film maker Sanjay Leela Bhansali has finally turned composer with Guzaarish and his fantasy of having Lata sing for him is coming true after years of patience, says a media report.
A song to be sung by his muse and inspiration Lata Mangeshkar is a project that has obsessed and frightened Bhansali for years.
He says, “I grew up listening to her sing. I cannot start my day without listening to at least some of her songs. I've been in awe of her for so many years that when I finally heard her record a song for Vidhu Vinod Chopra's 1942: A Love Story, I was mesmerised. When she walked into the studio, time stood still. Ironically, the song she sang contained the lyric Samay ka yeh pal tham sa gaya hai.”
It was then that Sanjay had decided he would one day direct a film and Lataji would sing for him. “No filmmaker's creative vision can be complete without her voice,” says Sanjay.
Despite his ardent wish, Lata could not sing in Sanjay Bhansali's Khamoshi: The Musical and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.
For Devdas, Sanjay had actually set aside the situation in the script where Lata would sing. When again his desire was thwarted, Sanjay scrapped the situation and the song meant for Lata.
Maybe the Nightingale was destined to sing for Bhansali only when he turned music composer. Now that the director has turned into a full-fledged composer with Guzaarish, he has finally mustered the creativity and courage to compose a song for his idol. The song that he has composed for Lata is a soft and sensitive ballad about how precious the gift of life is.
He created the song over two years and has since then been polishing it to perfection. Now he is all set to record the number with her.
Says Sanjay, “Yes, I have the song for Lataji ready finally. But I have still not mustered up the courage to ask her to sing it for me. How can I ask her to sing for me? I have grown up hearing her voice. I learnt the emotions for direction from the way she sings. In Devdas, I asked Shreya Ghosal to copy Lataji's style. I tell every singer male or female to refer to her. To now ask her to sing… my God!”
However, when Lataji hears about her biggest bhakt's secret plan for her she is game for it.
“Sanjay Bhansali has a great music sense. I loved his songs in Devdas. And that title song in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam is outstanding. Whatever he composes would reflect his fine aesthetic sense. Every capable director understands music. I believe that to be a complete filmmaker one has to know about every aspect of cinema,” says Lata.
